Where the Strelitzia Blooms
by Ynat
Summary: Freedom is within their grasp when a mysterious woman saves them from Garden, but fate was never very kind to them. It's only the beginning of a long arduous journey for the Jian, but if anybody could triumph above a universe set on giving them hell, it was that red-skinned girl and her raven-haired companion. INDEFINITE HIATUS READ NOTE AT THE END OF CHAPTER 4
1. Pawn

The wind whipped around them as they sprinted through the snow. Cold air dug knives into his wet skin, making every movement sluggish and painful. His only source of warmth was the hand he gripped tightly as he led the odd-looking, red horned girl as far away from her confinement as possible. They had avoided their pursuers at the mistletoe tree, and Hiro determined that a direct approach toward the walls of Garden was their best chance now. The density of the pine trees thickened, providing ample cover from prying eyes. Escape seemed daunting, but they could hardly call the alternative an option.

Hiro steeled himself. They would escape and fight this cruel world together, he wouldn't accept anything else.

"Dahling..." Zero Two whimpered.

He glanced over at her and notes that her leg had healed at a surprising rate, maybe licking the wound worked? Shouts from beyond trees allow Hiro to determine the source of her true concern and before he could react a shot rang out, grazing his left calf. It takes a moment, but the inevitable pain nearly caused him to pass out. He crumpled and his head hits hard on the ground beneath him.

"Dahling!"

Zero Two's voice reached his ears, but it was distant as the ringing in his ears grew louder. She gently shook him, her calls becoming more desperate. His conscious was disappearing fast, he scraped at the snow in front of him as he desperately clung onto the solid world around him. Zero Two stood defensively over him as the guards approached, he discerned a low growl rising in her throat. She charged the closest one, and, having narrowly dodged his grasp, she sunk her teeth into his arm, the man yelped in surprise. Her victory was short-lived, however, as another guard knocked her off with a swift hit to her head with the butt of his rifle. The impact caused her body to go slack, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Zero Two!" He called out.

He pushed at the earth beneath him, his head spun. A boot planted on his spine rendered his effort to rise futile and shoved him back into the snow. Ahead of him was Zero Two's body, resting limp in the white powder. Hiro grit his teeth at the sight, he didn't understand it. Why couldn't they be free? Why did the adults go so far to keep them chained to the ground?

 _Do you want to save her, boy?_

A voice echoed out from nowhere, followed by the low foreboding moan of a siren sounding out through Garden. Guards that had been approaching them stopped and scanned the pine forest in confusion. A blue figure stood a hundred feet from him, near the Garden wall. He found it difficult to make out the details, but didn't fail to notice the eight mechanical tentacles that protruded from their back.

Quiet consumed the world around him for a moment. Was he imagining things? Did it even matter at that point? His blood felt like it was boiling in his veins and he closed his eyes as he put every ounce of his strength into calling out two words.

"I do!"

His eyes opened, the figure had vanished. Disappointment washed over him, an illusion after all...? Just before he had given up all hope, a blood-curdling scream rang out. Sounds of tearing flesh and choking breath ensued until something snapped above him. The noise stopped. The pressure on his back faded. Another soldier stumbled to the ground at Hiro's feet.

"What the fuck, what the fuck, what th-!"

A mechanical tentacle flew past Hiro's field of view, and the soldier's voice stopped silent. Something crunched into the snow beside him.

Panicked shouts and gunfire of the soldiers caused Hiro to shudder as he turned his head away from the gruesome scene unfolding before him. The alarm continued in the following silence as a soft set of footsteps approached him.

The woman that stood before him now had snow white hair, blue skin, and a single cobalt horn protruding from her forehead. Her black clothes seemed of ancient royalty. She eyed him curiously as she kneeled beside him, sniffing at the air above the open wound on his forehead before leaning in. He winced as her tongue dragged across the oozing blood.

 _Interesting,_ her voice hummed in his head as she pulled away, _it appears I will retrieve more than expected._

One of the mechanical tentacles wrapped around his body, and he cried out in pain as she lifted him into the air. The last thing he saw before his vision faded was the crumbling of Garden's wall.

* * *

She woke to a familiar aching grogginess. So familiar, that had her surroundings not been so vastly different from those she was used to, she would've assumed that everything that had happened was part of some strange dream.

Her arms shifted to lift herself off the soft grainy surface of the floor beneath her as she peered over a large underground cavern. Before her was a massive body of glowing blue water that lit up the fantastical world around her. On either side of the subterranean lake was a stretching expanse of greenery and foreign plant life that she couldn't see the end of. Pillars stretched to the lofted ceiling above the forest, from them protruded various crystalline growths that would radiate the forest with red light from time to time, preventing darkness from consuming the visual spectacle entirely.

Her eyes couldn't stay in one place, taking in every detail of the mystic that surrounded her before her mind came to a grinding halt.

Where was he?

Zero Two spun around, scanning the beach-like area before she found him lying lifelessly next an odd-looking blue girl. The woman turned toward her, an icy gaze causing a chill to pass down Zero Two's spine. Every bone in her body screamed danger, but her determination to make sure he was okay overrode any sense of fear she had.

 _So you're awake?_

The woman's words reached Zero Two's mind and her eyes widened as she took notice of the jagged horn on the strange figure's forehead. Her curiosity faded when she saw the condition of the boy lying before her. His face was a ghostly pale. A dark red ichor plastered the sand near him, his wound covered by an abnormally large exotic leaf. Her heartbeat quickened. She kneeled beside him tugging at his torn sleeve.

"Dahling?"

No response.

Her eyes watered as she rested her head against his chest. A few moments passed in pure silence before-

Ba-dump

Zero Two perked up, hope blooming. She listened closely, waiting for another.

Ba-dump

The slow methodical beat of his heart was there. He was alive!

 _This attachment might prove troublesome…_ A voice spoke again, the words were meaningless to Zero Two, however.

A mechanical tentacle moved with swift precision and encircled the small girl. A loud noise of protest followed, but she soon found herself mere inches from the calculating orbs of the frightening figure. Zero Two growled, showing her teeth.

 _Your knowledge is much more limited than I expected._ The klaxosaur woman spoke. _Speeding up your growth will be a necessary risk then._

Before Zero Two could pull away, the lone horn of the other female had contacted her one of her own red horns. A small spark flew through her mind.

The grip of the mechanical appendage around her waist loosened, and she fell to the ground. As she rose, she rubbed her temple gently, the buzz in her brain fading.

She turned toward where the girl had once stood, only to find her footprints in the sand. Panicking, she surveyed the area for any sign of the mysterious woman before grunting in defeat and returning to her darling's side. To her surprise, his eyes had cracked open.

"Zero...Two...?"

His voice was hoarse and quiet, but her excellent hearing picked up every syllable of her name.

"Ah-ake?" She asked, parroting a similar question she had been asked earlier.

Her recollection of noise that used to be garbled and nonsensical finally became words with meaning. Although she knew the meaning of certain things, forming them into vocal speech proved more difficult than she expected. However, it seemed she did well enough for Hiro to understand her, his face showed surprise at her inquiry before shifting to a small grin.

"Yeah, I'm awake." He stated, trying to raise himself off the ground.

Zero Two took notice of his struggle and placed her hand on his back to support his upright position. She watched as he examined their surroundings much like she had.

"Where are we?" She heard him mutter.

A booming crash behind them, accompanied by the rumbling sound of something massive scraping along the cavern floor. It wasn't long until the creature burst into view from out of the tree line it had been careful not to destroy. A klaxosaur. It appeared like a cobra, its long metallic black body slithered with cautious and curious movement toward the two children, in spite of its previously hurried approach. Its eyes, a sparkling blue that focused themselves on Zero Two. She had a feeling it was trying to convey something to her, but she couldn't quite understand it.

To Hiro's dismay, she stood and edged herself toward the klaxosaur.

"No, Zero Two! Run!"

His shouts caused her to hesitate. Did he think they were in danger? It was too late for that, however; the beast was upon her. Its face tilted downward so it could keep its eyes on her as she reached out to touch the serpent's snout, sensing no danger. Despite the robotic appearance, its skin was neither smooth nor metallic, instead rough and leathery. Zero Two imagined that there was probably a living creature somewhere in the world that looked much like the mechanical marvel before her.

The creature nuzzled her hand and hummed deep within its throat. She glanced over her shoulder at where Hiro was on the beach, his face twisted in a look of incredulous bewilderment, it caused an unfamiliar emotion to well in her chest and painted a mischievous smile across her face as she giggled.

The serpent pulled away, opening its mouth wide. Hiro was now standing next to her, she took note of the scar on his leg where a bullet wound had once been. Other than a slight limp, it seemed he had healed completely.

"I think it wants to take us somewhere," Hiro spoke, the raspiness of his voice had faded slightly, "as silly as that sounds…"

"Ah!" Zero Two concurred, having understood most of what he said.

He gripped her hand and smiled reassuringly.

"Let's go, Zero Two."

* * *

It had been a tiresome week for her. The humans were pushing back harder than ever and delving deeper and deeper into the klaxosaur territory. Her territory. The only good thing to come of the week was the successful retrieval of her package along with an… interesting surprise.

The overlooking view the princess held left something to be desired. An expansive desert stretched out in front of her, the only observable remnants of life were the dilapidated buildings of the human city at the base of the mountain on which she stood. The mountainside appeared as a graveyard of collapsed trees, ugly gray and brown replaced the once sweeping green. She sighed as the sun began its descent over the horizon.

 _How ugly they have made you…_

A distant signal entered her mind, giving her visual of the onslaught she had sent her brethren into. The battlefield was grim, thousands of blue and black corpses lined the ground slowing down the much larger klaxosaurs' approach on the metal stronghold before them. In front of the shining silver fortress stood several smaller figures. Shaped like human females, they had eyes in small slits that glowed an ominous orange, matching the spears they wielded. The bodies of the monsters were entirely gray, with lighter shades outlining points where the torso connected to its other appendages. Thrusters on the back provided speed and maneuverability to the mechanical terrors as they hacked their way through wave after wave of the klaxosaurs. The image cut off.

 _Time has become my enemy again._ She thought to herself grimly.

She examined the clouds gathering overhead and her eyes darkened. Instead of life-bringing water, they would bring biosphere killing acid.

The shaking of the Earth below pulled her attention to the cavern from which she ascended. Rising through the twisted tunnel was her serpentine companion, who found rest at the cave system entrance, allowing its passengers to emerge. A boy with black hair, blue eyes, and pale skin arose out of the mouth of the snake alongside a red-skinned girl. The male child took three steps out of the beast before retching up the contents of his stomach while the girl who seemed mostly unphased by the ride she had partaken in, examined her surroundings with curious emerald eyes.

 _You will have to be tougher than that, boy_ , the princess chastised.

He peered up at her, catching his breath.

"Who... are you?"

She ignored his question, instead pointing out towards the wasteland, the boy's face paled slightly as he straightened himself upright in order to take in the view.

"Ah?" the red girl's brows bunched together at the sight of the dead landscape.

 _It won't be long before this planet dies at the hands of humanity. I will ensure that doesn't happen, regardless of the cost..._ Her tone became cold, a flare appearing in her icy orbs. _You've already decided what side you stand on, have you not, child?_

She peered back toward him, his eyes conveyed a determination she hadn't expected. Perhaps she hadn't overestimated his potential.

"I have."

She noticed him glance at the female youth when he spoke.

 _You are far beyond the point of no return._

The royalty figure jabbed her thumb at the klax girl.

 _She will become the center of your universe, everywhere she goes, you will follow. Your status hasn't changed, you will remain a pawn in the schemes of others. However, now…_

The princess' legs tensed for a moment, propelling her before the boy in an instant. Her finger pressed his chin up, so his gaze would meet hers.

 _You are_ _ **my**_ _pawn, understand?_

The fire in his eyes was still present. Was he not afraid?

"I understand."

A smirk formed on her face.

 _Good._

* * *

"Magma energy usage is kept at a strict minimum to prevent such occurrences, however it seems the klaxosaurs are becoming indiscriminate in their attacks, 50 parasites lost their lives...Code 002's tracer was destroyed in the assault, along with the special specimen's, determining their condition will be impossible." The masked caretaker reported.

"An unprecedented failure!" A shrill voice hissed.

"That we not only lost a chunk of our parasite reserve but also code 002 is devastating." Another much deeper voice spoke, coming from the larger council member seated furthest to the left.

The virtual council room went quiet. In total, there were seven of them, all dressed in similar white garb with gold trimmings, all with their face covered by some variance of primate-like mask. At their center was the head of modern human society, Papa.

"Werner, what are your thoughts on the matter?" The vice spoke.

He looked up at them, having realized their tiresome complaints had finally come to a stop.

"Code 002's loss is inconsequential," Werner's mechanical voice huffed out, "her upgraded versions will act as a more than suitable substitute."

"Inconsequential? Hah! Her potential could of led to the end of this foolish war. The substitutes are yet to show any signs of being like her, and yet you say-?"

The central figure raised his hand, signalling for the lemur masked one to cease.

"Are you certain of the capability of these prototypes you call 'upgraded'?" Papa spoke.

"Of course." Werner scoffed.

"Then we shall leave it to you, prioritize their perfection above all else." The commanding voice concluded. "Failure is no longer an option Werner, I hope you won't disappoint me..."

The holographic images of the council disappeared and Dr. Werner Franxx let out an irritated sigh. APE was finally wisening up, they would no longer allow him to do as he pleased now that the klaxosaur threat was becoming increasingly unpredictable. It was only a matter of time before they forced him to abandon his research of human evolution in favor of less… "barbaric" approaches to ensuring humanities survival. Too much to do, too little time. He was all too aware of that fact.

"Doctor?" The concerned voice of his subordinate broke the uneasy silence.

"Sorry," the unease that passed through him faded as the gears in his head turned, "let's go."

Werner shifted toward the elevator shaft that served as the exit to the room, his mind was already racing toward the future. He slipped his communication device out of his pocket, on it appeared two red blips, he cackled internally.

The clock was ticking.

 _What are you planning code 001?_

* * *

 **AN:** Thank you once again to my beta reading peeps in Cerasus for proof-reading and helping me out with developing the initial concept for this story.

If you couldn't already tell, this story is a major divergence from canon and, as such, I will basically be creating my own world from scratch with this story, with a few of the initial concepts from canon serving as the basis for most of what I will do. I always wondered what would happen if Zero Two and Hiro had actually been able to escape from APE's society, and I determined the best point for that to occur was at Garden with a bit of help from a certain someone... As I mentioned in the last author's note of my previous story, this story is not likely to have super frequent or consistent updates until I get things figured out for myself in a busy fall season for me. This does NOT mean updates will only occur once every other month, however, I will say that updates could end up spacing out between 2-3 weeks depending on my motivation and workload. Anyways, hope you enjoyed!


	2. Two Steps Forward

Until that day at Garden Zero Two had always been alone. Only brought beyond concrete walls to undergo testing she despised, watched by prying eyes that disturbed her. Existence was a dark gray that brightened into a colorful mixture in a matter of minutes. She found it odd how quickly things could change in the world around her.

The large liquid mirror reflected her flowing pink hair, red skin, and peculiar horns.

 _A beast and a human could never be together._

Was that really true? As far as she could tell, darling wasn't even all that different from her.

She was resting on a rock planted beside a shallow stream. The sound of water sloshing over the smooth stoned river-bottom filled the small clearing surrounded on either side by overhanging greenery

The watercourse rushing over her feet was refreshing in the warm and humid underground environment. Her feet kicking back and forth sent ripples out through the moving fluid, something she found entertaining enough until she noticed something moving beneath the clear creek. Her legs stilled, muscles tensed. She stood, wading her way further in, diligent not to disturb the current moving around her shins. Waiting for a patient second, she observed her prey, paying attention to patterns in its movement.

Zero Two lunged, gripping the slimy, scaled creature and yanking it to the surface. The fish wriggled in her hand, desperate to return to the place of its belonging, but her iron grasp held strong.

"Zero Two?" Darling's voice questioned.

He was just returning from further upstream after washing her clothing, having left her with his coat that served as her secondary cover-up. The black cloth folded into a neat rectangle he held in his hands, his own white undershirt thrown over his shoulder, still too wet to wear.

"Caugh' it, dahling!" She replied, extending her trophy toward him with pride.

Her smile was beaming and her darling chuckled as he approached.

"Looks like we'll be having fish again tonight."

"Mm!" She hummed.

As much as she enjoyed the fruits and various greens they found that were edible, nothing beat the flavor of meat. She still had fond memories of their earlier days when the weird snake klaxosaur used to bring them food. One night, it had brought them a boar, an entire _boar_. Zero Two didn't even know a living animal that big existed, let alone did she think she could _eat_ said animal _._ The time they spent with the unconventional parent led to her darling giving the creature a name, 'Hei'.

Zero Two started toward the riverbank, but came to a stumbling halt as something wrapped around her leg. Within the next instant, she was upside down facing an all too familiar regal face, the end of her lengthy coat tangled in the tentacle that held her. She snarled at her adversary.

 _Nice to see you've been learning, girl…_

"You? What are you-?" He cut off as the red-skinned girl hurdled toward him.

Darling grunted as Zero Two impacted his chest, staggering back over the terrain before regaining his balance. His sturdiness was impressive, and so was the magnificent crimson shade of his face when he registered how long he had been holding her. What could she do to make him flustered like this more often, she wondered?

His grip loosened, and she slipped out of his arms to face their foster alongside him.

 _I'm checking on you two delinquents, what else would I be doing?_ The woman stated, stepping onto the dry land ahead of them.

"Well, I asked you to bring us some clean clothing…" Zero Two heard her darling complain under his breath.

 _I offered you clothing did I not?_

"Yeah, but…" He shifted uncomfortably.

Klax clothing seemed unrestrictive and comfortable enough but... Zero Two snuggled deeper into the soft interior of her darling's coat. It was warm and fuzzy, and the smell that surrounded her made her thoughts cloudy as she relaxed.

"I like Dahling's!" She asserted, pulling the coat closer to herself.

The blue-skinned woman shrugged.

 _Suit yourselves then._ She said as she walked past them, returning into the shadows of the forest ahead.

 _Oh,_ she paused, _I nearly forgot._

Her mouth opened and out came the most abhorrent noise Zero Two ever encountered. She cupped her ears in an attempt to block the deafening symphony until it cut off. The dull thud that followed shook the Earth, becoming louder with every second.

 _I was here to do one other thing after all, I hope you'll able to entertain him._

White fangs showed in the woman's grin before she vanished with blinding speed.

The blur of blue and black burst through the trees into the small clearing around beside the riverbank. A massive tusk protruded from its disproportionately large and misshapen head characterized by an absurd overhanging jaw. Its flat and rounded feet kicked at the ground.

"H-Hey Zero Two doesn't this one look a bit angrier than normal…?"

It charged, and Hiro made the split-second decision to grab Zero Two's hand and run, picking up her dirtied cloak along the way.

"Fishy!" She resisted his pull, reaching back toward where their dinner once was, but his grip hardened.

The klaxosaur's lowered head missed them by an inch as it tumbled into the roaring water.

"We'll catch another one later!" He said, leaping over an overgrown root.

They weaved through the forest. Their unnatural speed kept them ahead of the chase for now, but Zero Two knew it wouldn't last. She saw trees tumbling behind them in the wake of the creature fixated on ensuring the duo's demise. It had no qualms with devastating the environment to get to them.

Zero Two sensed the jumbled mixture of confusion and rage the creature gave off.

They broke into the beach clearing, the monster still hot on their tail, and dove to the side as the creature barreled out next to them. Sand dusted up around it as the klaxosaur fought against its momentum, coming to a stop about fifty meters in front of them.

 _Do or die, children,_ The woman's voice echoed from everywhere.

Die? Her eyes widened, the beast was preparing to charge again. Darling's urgent calls were a distant hum in Zero Two's mind. Nononononono.

The klax stampeded; the tusk on its head lowered between its hulking legs. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, a single thought planted itself at the forefront of Zero Two's mind.

 _Protect him._

An emotional eruption caused the klaxosaur to hesitate before another, more familiar, creature emerged from the sand below, disrupting its charge. The serpent struck the side of the klax causing it to topple while the snake's body wrapped itself around to constrict the much larger monster's movement. Flailing limbs attempted in vain to regain its footing, however, no amount of struggling would free it from the deadly coil it had found itself in. Fangs dug deeper into the neck of the creature until the jerking motions stopped and the light of its orbs faded.

Zero Two's senses returned, the clarity of her environment returning as she glanced over at the pale-faced boy next to her. His eyes shone a strange omniscient azure before waning into their ordinary blue.

"Zero Two…?" He shook his head. "Nevermind, are you okay?"

"Mm!" She nodded excitedly. "I saved Dahling!"

Hiro stiffened, a sudden look of surprise crossed his face before he relaxed.

"Yeah, I guess you did, huh?" He looked at the dirty rag in his hand that served as her only alternative mode of dress.

Hei stared at them, having unraveled himself from the now dead klax, as if awaiting further orders. Blood dripped from the mouth of the serpent, staining the sand below. Hiro's gaze seemed to focus on something distant, his mind distracted by something even Zero Two couldn't see.

Although she understood something was bothering her darling, she couldn't quite grasp how to address such things. She did, however, know how to shift the mood to something lighter.

She leaned in close and licked a line up Hiro's cheek, pulling him from his daze and bringing that wonderful red glow back to his face as he yelped. Zero Two couldn't hold in her mischievous toothy grin as her darling's face became an incredulous mess. His taste was a strange mixture of her own and something entirely different.

"Let's 'o home?" She questioned.

"Mm," a small smile painted itself on his face as he regained his composure. "I think I could use some rest..."

* * *

The castle-like structure settled deep into the rugged cavern side. Its obsidian rock walls rose two stories, connected at the center by a small, spiralling tower that overlooked the subterranean world. If this were her first time seeing it, she would've thought the building seemed ominous. It's dark walled corridors only lit by a constant eerie blue that radiated from points along the walls, the crude structure of indentation into the wall made it appear as if the building was being swallowed by the surrounding Earth. Coupled with the many dark, empty rooms made the building appear deserted.

However, this wasn't her first time seeing it, it was one of many, _many,_ times. The place only created feelings of sorrow, wistfulness, and… loneliness to her. A small flickering orange in the upper right window eased those sentiments. She had grown fond of waiting for the radiant pulsing of the underground to fade, replaced by that miniscule glow that accompanied laughter and chattering voices.

And so as she watched the odd duo from her perch within the shadows of the leaves, she found herself relaxing for the first time in centuries.

The codependent bond they had formed was intriguing. Between the boy's knowledge and girl's instincts, they were a practically unstoppable duo when it came to mundane survival tasks. In combination with their abnormal biology, the potential they held together grew even further. So she let them bask in their naivety as the world above turned into a living hell, knowing one day their link would crumble under the weight of the fractured path fate laid out for them.

Selfish curiosity did not prevent the white-haired woman from attending to her true intentions, however, and led to her focus on training the young klaxosapien female. Her communication had improved by a vast amount in the few months she had spent underground, the boy's readings he had gathered seemed to assist in that aspect. Not only had her physical communication improved, but she was finally coming to understand her some of her more... inherent capabilities. The boy also seemed to be coming along nicely, his more interesting traits expressing themselves discreetly.

Throwing the two of them to the wolves worked well enough for the princess's purposes. It wouldn't be long before she have to intervene herself, however.

The azure-horned klaxosapien yawned, an action followed by immediate annoyance with herself. She was the overseer of this world, she couldn't be _yawning_ during times like this, could she?

Something stirred in her chest prior to the disruptive onslaught of signals that coursed her mind. Another battle, another slaughter. Every day humanity inched closer, no matter how many she killed, there was always more to take their place. They always had more, and they always came from somewhere that not even she knew how to find. After her previous escapade on a human facility, they had increased their priority on security, making it increasingly difficult to find ground on the surface. As foolish as their species was, they were annoyingly resourceful.

She glanced over at the massive serpent resting beneath her, wedged into an uncomfortable position between the thick oaks as he observed the two anomalies with curiosity. Of all the things to name the snake, the boy had chosen Hei? Whatever, as long as he didn't build up the audacity to name _her_ she took no issue with it.

The serpent's gaze met hers and she realized what he was trying to convey as the spark that made up their empathetic link pulsed.

'I will watch over them.'

Nodding her head, she dropped through the tree and took off, sprinting toward the nearest offshoot that led to the surface. She had duties above and below the surface, and she would see them through all the same.

* * *

The pulsing crimson light was dying out now; glowing with a softer intensity that just barely allowed for the outlines of the trees outside their window to be visible. Whispers of life of all forms surrounded them; insects, birds, other unknown creatures he didn't recognize. Their small mattress bag of leaves and grass made for a comfortable place to rest as he read from the ancient hardback book in his hands.

Their temporary home was less than cozy, but they made it work, regardless. A makeshift mattress sat off to the corner of the room beside the carved stone window. The only other ornaments that decorated the space were stacks of books Hiro had collected, along with the wooden torch mounted on the wall that kept the room bright enough to see.

Today was 102 days on the dot. 102 days since he'd been freed from the confines of a society he loathed, and 102 days since he'd seen any of the parasites Hiro had come to consider friends. He often wondered if they were okay, and if they were, whether he could consider that a good thing or not.

Next to him sat a hyperactive Zero Two, her senses were being stimulated to a point they had never been. It was better now than it was a few months ago, but she still struggled with it. He knew she was tired, but every time, just before she shut her eyes, a bush would rustle, or a twig would crack, and she would startle awake. Hiro couldn't help but find her feverishness amusing as bad as it made him feel.

Placing the piece of literature at his side, he pulled at her hand gently.

"Calm down Zero Two," Hiro said, "you need to rest."

She met his gaze and seemed to relax if only a little.

"Ti-hed." She grumbled.

He gave her a sympathetic smile.

"I know."

Falling backward, she positioned herself next to him, tucking her head into the crook of his neck with. Hiro thought about how her horns might impale him in the middle of the night, but tossed the silly idea aside. He had other things to worry about.

That voice he heard on the beach, it wasn't Zero Two's and yet he was certain she was the source. It had sent a commanding chill down his spine, every muscle in his body seized to be under his control for what seemed like an eternity. The feeling terrified him.

He sighed.

Just another thing he had questions about with answers nowhere in sight. A worrying trend in his life.

Hiro thought maybe he'd find remedies in the books that lined the walls of the expansive library, and yet everything he had found was either too technical for him to understand, in some unfamiliar language, or fictional storytelling. It turned out he could decipher more from the limited span of reading in Garden than the expansive amount he provided here.

Most of the books he read in Garden related to the history of humanity, aspects of war and kinship that dissipated under the singular banner of APE. How, humanity made that leap? No clue, but at least he understood that there was one. With the books in the underground, it took everything he had to derive meaning from a single paragraph, let alone a whole book. Not only were they hard to understand, but there were so many to go through that he didn't know where to start.

Their blue-skinned guardian came and went as she pleased, never around long enough to probe. But why would she give him a straight answer, anyway? No one else ever did.

He did, however, enjoy the fictional writing. It was something Hiro found he could share with Zero Two, and the stories seemed to have a far more positive impact on her than the storybook they left forgotten in the frozen waste.

Hiro tilted his head downward, Zero Two's eyelids had relaxed shut, her mouth slightly ajar as her mind wandered in the world of dreams. The forest noise faded, and for a moment, all Hiro heard was the steady breathing of the fragile-looking girl at his side. It was _only_ for a moment, although, as Hiro discerned a recognizable low growl originating from just outside. A small pause of silence, and then the same ensuing growl continued a few times before he decided enough was enough.

He slid himself out of Zero Two's grasp; she groaned and stirred but didn't awaken. She always seemed to turn into an ironically heavy sleeper when she settled down.

Grabbing the torch from their doorway Hiro tip-toed his way outside, only to find the massive eye of a cobra gazing at him through a window at the far end of the corridor.

That was… unsettling.

"What are you doing, Hei?" Hiro questioned in a whispering tone.

The klaxosaur jerked its head away from the peephole and gestured toward the front of the building prior to disappearing from Hiro's view. Hiro figured he had two options: ignore what just happened entirely and return to the warmth of his bed, or go and see what horrors the serpent had in store for him.

He picked the latter, his nature wouldn't let him do otherwise.

Leaving the torch in a small pedestal next to the entrance of the structure, Hiro found the serpent coiled into a patient position, watching with unspoken intelligence. Hei's head moved in close, his overbearing presence would've been intimidating if Hiro wasn't used to it.

"Well?" Hiro scanned the surroundings, looking for anything the serpent might've wanted to show him.

The response he received, however, was the serpents lips wrapping around his ruined undershirt and pulling him into the air. Hiro contemplated calling out for help but decided against waking up Zero Two, knowing if he was in any real danger he would already be dead. He definitely wouldn't say being held up by his shirt alone was comfortable by any means, but he didn't really have a choice in the matter. The klaxosaur's long body weaved through the narrow gaps in the trees as they traversed through the wilderness.

It wasn't long before they crossed out of the area of Hiro's familiarity; the scale of the subterranean ecosystem becoming much more overwhelming than he initially perceived. In the short time he had been down here, they had never taken much time to explore, finding more value in survival rather than sightseeing. It wasn't until now he realized just how much he was missing. The trees were more spaced out in this section of the cavern, giving more room for exotic flowers of varying shades of gold, maroon, and lavender that seemed to cover the earth beneath them.

"Where are you taking me?" He yelled over the sound of wind and rustling branches that filled the air.

The beast groaned. Why did he bother? He should be used to this by now...

Ambient sounds of the wilderness became muted and strange insects flickered with light as the world slowed around him. Hiro caught a glimpse of a massive clearing before he was abruptly dropped into a patch of soft, but not soft enough, grass.

"Ugh…" He groaned, wobbling to his feet with the klax still towering over him.

Before him was a pasture of green. An ancient tree stood as the pink centerpiece of the field. Hiro found it more striking than any of the others he had seen before; he recognized it from his books—a cherry blossom tree.

A golden trimmed obsidian plate inserted into the tree's front caught his attention. As he got closer, he saw that the words engraved weren't in a language he understood nor recognized from anywhere. The wooden base of the tree seemed to envelop the placard, cutting off pieces of the phrase imprinted.

Hiro reached out, passing his fingers over the swirling letters.

A sudden jolt of electricity dug knives into his brain.

 _How long will it take this time…?_

The pressure on his temples increased, causing him to collapse to the ground. An ominous blue glowed from two points just above his forehead. His world was a vivid hallucination, a gray sky obscured by black dust replaced the rugged ceiling he had become familiar with. A sea of red lay out before him, the azure sand was mixed with ash that fell from above like snow. Every breath he took was ragged and dry as the black tar collected in his lungs. The warmth that surrounded him swirled into an inferno.

 _For it to go up in flames?_

He startled awake, heaving breaths steadying as he collected himself. Bright orange light causing him to squint as he became more aware of his surroundings.

"What's w-ong?" Her familiar voice reached his ears.

Zero Two was standing over him, her face tilted in confusion and worry. He gave her a confused look before lifting himself up and spinning around; he was back in his room, Hei nowhere to be found.

Reseating himself on the small mattress, he let his breath steady in and out as he became increasingly aware of the beads of sweat on his brow.

Ash and fire, a foreign man speaking to him from nowhere; all caused by a sign ingrained into a cherry blossom tree. Just what the hell was that?

"Dahling?" Her tone more demanding this time.

Zero Two's brow bunched as she gave him a small pout. She really hated being ignored.

"It's nothing, Zero Two, just a bad dream." He said, laughing nervously as she continued her close examination of him.

She really had no sense of personal boundaries did she? Not that he would complain.

All the while his curiosity gnawed at him.

* * *

The hallway was bright white, the only contrasting colors lied at the end in the massive doorway traced with gold and sealed in the center with orange. As they approached, the gates creaked open, sealing themselves into the wall to make way for the approaching visitors.

He had to hold in a gasp as he entered the grandiose room. A sphere of glass expanded the view of the expansive sky that stretched out to their left and right, beneath them churned the red ocean. The white walkway expanded out toward the sphere's center, seven seats raised to varying degrees surrounded the hologram that projected itself at the walkway's end.

"Welcome!" The Vice greeted.

His green eyes darted from person to person before finding the one he was looking for: Papa. The man who had brought him into this world, who had raised him from the dirt and given him life, the one for whom he'd give everything.

"Come, my children." Papa's arms spread wide. "You are the ones who will bring about the new era!"

He then pointed toward the parasite at the head of the squadron of eight.

"Are you prepared, Alpha?"

Alpha's pride swelled alongside his comrades. This was his destiny, he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Yes, Papa. We will not disappoint you."

* * *

 **AN:** I'm alive, don't plan on being dead anytime soon either. Big TY to Cerasus once again for proofread and the works.

With that out of the way, I'd like to apologize for the over-a-month wait that I initially promised would only be a two-week wait (looks like that once every two months thing I said this story wouldn't be was the opposite of the truth LUL.) Turns out being stressed really effects your ability to think creatively, something I thought I'd be able to work through since I'm used to be stressed in this season. However, this year its been particularly hard on me and as such I've either been staring at my half-baked chapter, playing video games, or doing work. Finally was able to get into a rhythm recently so I managed to get this chapter done. Hopefully, the next one won't take me as long, but I'm not making any promises in that regard this time around.

I'd like to restate that the DITF universe is, and will remain, only a template with regards to absolutely everything since I will be changing basically everything except for a few more outstanding details that may be explained in an entirely different way this time around.

Won't ever be dropping this story, it's something I personally want to finish and enjoy making, it just takes time to make something I'm happy with when I'm struggling with motivation and creativity.

Thank you for your patience with me.


	3. One Step Back

The underground was suffocating, but Zero Two tolerated it the best she could with promises it would be worth it one day. So, she often just took time to breathe and come up with methods of entertaining herself to avoid her most insufferable thoughts. Most of said activities involved some way of fooling around with her darling, however, her current choice included what the majority of individuals would perceive as a menacing game of cat and mouse.

She loved the sensation of air dispersing around her skin as she moved swift and free across the beach, dashing and dancing to dodge the strikes of the serpent that never seemed to hit her. The humid environment made every breath harder than the last, and the constant fading and brightening of the orange glow above caused concentration to become a tall task, but none of it seemed to bother her in this moment. It was exhilarating.

Her heart quickened in her chest as she had a close encounter with the sharpened fangs of the creature. She twisted herself, rolling out of the way of its ensnaring strike, and then from her crouched position launched herself onto the Hei's forehead.

With triumphant pride, she stamped her foot on the point between his eyes.

"I win!" Her gleeful smile shone bright. "Did you see that, darling?"

She turned, her back straightened, radiating confidence before slouching when she noticed him resting against a tree with a book folded open on his chest. Most notably, his eyelids were closed, drool dripping from his mouth… She glared at his unconscious body before her face shifted to a more mischievous one.

"Hei!" She called as she dismounted.

Hei's head tilted to the side, gaze prying as he awaited her command. Zero Two grabbed a golf-club sized stick from the forested area next to them and waved it in front of him. Hei became mesmerized by the motion, leaning to wrap his lips around the twig that couldn't be large enough to even use as a toothpick for the massive creature.

"Not yet."

She wound her arm, stick in hand.

"Go," her muscles tensed, "get it!"

It flew, a long arching throw, landing a couple feet from her unsuspecting victim. The klax turned house-pet took off after the small object, waking Hiro in the process.

All he had time to do was scream at the vicious looking monster hurtling toward him, creating just the reaction Zero Two was hoping for. There was a problem, however, as she seemed to have landed the object a bit _too_ close to him, and her face turned to horror as Hei's head slammed into the ground.

She sprinted over..

"Darling-!?" Her voice got caught in her throat when she saw the state he was in.

He stood, legs split wide, with his back as far and tight against the tree as possible. His panicked face looked over at her as the serpent lifted its head from the dirt to reveal the piece of wood it had precisely picked out. Relief gave way to laughter as her concerned face changed entirely to one of unbridled amusement.

Hiro's aggrieved glare spoke a thousand words, but Zero Two's enthrallment only grew. His new clothing was minimal, leaving his chest almost exposed in its entirety, with two straps that crossed his body and looped over and under his arms before extending out into tight sleeves that came just short of his elbow. Shorts comprised the same black material that contracted to his body and traveled down to the middle of his thigh. He looked pretty good in the fancy klaxon-sapien clothing, but that wasn't what held her attention. His horns had grown again, two prongs sprouting from the same positions as hers had. Something she found _very_ intriguing.

Meanwhile, their oversized friend had dropped the stick into the crater at Hiro's feet, giving him a longing glance.

"You're joking right?" Hiro muttered.

Zero Two shrugged.

"What else is he supposed to do for fun down here."

He contemplated that for a moment before traversing down the small pit in the ground and retrieving the makeshift toy. Similar to Zero Two, he took a moment to wave the branch in front of Hei, his tail wagged with glee. Then, reaching his arm back, Hiro launched it as far as he could out onto the beach. A blur of black and blue raced after the object, catching it midair before swiveling to return. Once again the twig was dropped at Hiro's feet.

He turned to her, his eyes had that light in them she recognized in a heartbeat. Curious orbs illuminated with excitement. She gave him a knowing smile of encouragement and he repeated the action, putting even more force into the throw than before. It crashed into the water, but that didn't deter Hei.

She knew if their guardian were around to see what had become of her once intimidating klaxosaur she would be distraught in the least. Lucky for them, the azure-skinned woman had left on a recent month-long escapade… or something like that. To be honest, Zero Two stopped listening after the harsh woman said she was leaving, that was _all_ the teen needed to hear.

As if to spite her happiness, the sound of galloping footsteps encroached. Hei stalled out for a moment, tossing a sympathetic glance back toward her before leaving his game and bolting into the trees with purpose.

Thundering booms followed in the wake of whatever creature headed toward the duo before _it_ leaped over them into the sand, quaking the Earth as its mass crashed into the ground. When the dust subsided, the lioness stood noble. Dull aqua eyes, stark black skin, its movements were sluggish and tired for now but she knew of the giant's real nature. Its gaze fixated on Hiro.

"Strelizia..." Zero Two murmured.

The boy sighed.

"Two fucking days is all I asked for!" Hiro yelled toward the ceiling.

The echo that followed was the only noise in the moment before silence consumed everything. She could see the exhaustion in his eyes for a split-second before the facade of a smile buried it.

"Yeah, I don't think this 'god' dude is very interested in helping us out." He joked.

A smirk formed on her lips, he always tried to make light of their daily annoyances.

"Probably 'cause we're the bad guys, darling…" She said coyly.

"That so?" He contemplated, moving up to her side as he examined the klax. "I guess I can live with that."

The mouth of the colossus opened wide, inviting him in, hungry to return to its true potential.

"Me too," she hummed, "let's go."

* * *

The smooth crystalline membrane around him hummed with a warm orange glow as the beast groaned and shifted. Massive steps pushing forward one at a time sending jolts through his spine. The tubes connected around the small of his back pulsated sending electrical signals through his nervous system as other connections ran through his chest, transporting oxygen into the bloodstream. The transparent compound that surrounded him was dense enough to keep him afloat but watery enough to allow his head to turn unhindered. If he focused hard enough, he could see through the sphere that encased him, as if it were a crystal ball showing him his surroundings. When he closed his eyes, he gained an entirely new perspective. A narrowed field of view, raised at least 40 feet off the ground, his body moved on four heavy limbs but the muscles that pulled to lift each appendage were monstrous and powerful. Claws protruded blue from the sleek black biomechanical skin. His tail was fitted on the end with a sharp lance, something Hiro sensed tugging on the end of his spine, serving as an additional deadly tool, albeit one he was still getting used to.

"Darling?" Zero Two's voice questioned from above.

Her figure appeared in the top of his view, dangling pink hair accompanied by a curious face with jeweled emerald eyes. Zero Two's dress was regal and almost identical to the Princess', something that would normally leave the crimson skin in the center of her chest and stomach exposed due to its minimal and artistic design, but her hole-ridden cloak assisted in covering her up. She had outgrown the tattered black cover-up to where it only came down to the mid-section of her thigh, but this allowed it to serve its new purpose as a shirt in perfect fashion.

 _What-'s up?_ His voice came out strangled and choppy, reverberating in his mind for a moment causing him to wince.

"Let's hurry and get this over with so we can go home, you seem tired today." She seemed earnest in her concern, she always was, but Hiro remained disgruntled.

 _I won-der why…_ Hiro's passive-aggressive tone didn't go unnoticed.

Her face turned to a slight pout before disappearing.

"Not my fault the bed is so small and you're so warm…"

 _You bit my neck while I was slee-ping-_

"I was hungry!" She insisted.

 _-and woke me up from my nap by nearly killing me,_ he tacked on.

…

"Sorry," the adolescent grumbled.

A low, mechanical screeching substituted the laughter Hiro couldn't hold in, followed by a small thud on his right brow.

 _They're coming._ Zero Two's voice sent sparks down his spine, his mind now fully alert to the surrounding cavern.

It was tall and wide, the ceiling was almost invisible in the darkness along with the walls to either side, the sheer emptiness of the space would make it intimidating to those unfamiliar. Above all, it made for an easy position to ambush unwanted pests, at least the few that made it this far. An open area allowed maneuverability along with an easier escape if need be. "Good practice", as their strange leader might put it.

 _How m-any?_ Hiro inquired.

 _Four._ She shot back.

Four? So much for this being over with fast...

Another tension pressed on his temple before the small weight he'd grown accustomed to disappeared. The minuscule in comparison girl landed in front of him, walking toward the beams of light that were transitioning into view before them. He raised his leg to continue after her before Zero Two's demanding voice interrupted him.

 _No,_ her horns and eyes illuminated scarlet, _we'll end this quick._

He couldn't move, cemented in place by her command.

Zero Two grew more and more distant until the lights were upon her.

Blank-faced, gray machines approached; their eye-sockets filled with an orange glow. 'Ominous and creepy' is what Hiro would describe the Franxx as; human mimics in the form of moving, killer, dolls.

Hiro grit his teeth, he still couldn't move.

The mech on point smashed its spear into the ground at its feet, leaning down until the machine's head was at Zero Two's level. She remained unflinching. As much as he hated her dangerous stunts, his only true concern fell on the fates of those foolish pilots.

A fist suddenly wrapped around the position where she was once standing, giving Hiro a mini heart attack.

 _Too bad,_ four red mechanical tendrils sprouted from the now obliterated hand of the Franxx, _should have ran while you had the chance._

Hiro deafened himself to the cries of anguish that emerged from the cockpit of the misfortunate pilot as the invisible shackles released their hold on him.

Within a second, Hiro was on the central Franxx that was already recoiling in fear and pain. Paws pinned the machine into place as instinct and emotion took control. Hot steam bellowed from Hiro's gaping maw. Terror seemed to overwhelm the pilots, sending the machine into a panicked flailing before Hiro ran through the faceplate with his spear-like tail. The two Franxx next to Hiro were slow to react, the one to his right even seemed to shut down, and he made a quick move to finish it. Rippling muscle flung his claws with violent speed, decapitating the mech with a swift and clean motion, allowing himself to reposition.

Two down, two to go.

The rest seemed to have gathered their bearings, spears placed in front of them diagonally to prepare for another lunge from Hiro, something they expected any normal klaxosaur would do. However, not only was Hiro not a normal klaxosaur, he wasn't alone.

Their focus on him had allowed for Zero Two to make her approach unnoticed, mechanical appendages made easy work of slicing off the robotic foot, causing one of the Franxx to collapse. Their companion scoured the ground for Zero Two only to be pierced through the neck with a swift strike as she had managed to traverse onto the Franxx' spine unnoticed. The final pilots met a similar end as the metallic teeth of the lioness klax Hiro controlled punctured the robot's jugular.

Hiro wheezed breath into himself, his adrenaline wearing off bringing down the full weight of aching pain on his own physical body and nearly severing his connection entirely.

 _Strelizia will consume you at the rate you're going._

That annoying voice that belonged to no one, masculine and upbeat as if it took joy in his suffering.

 _Shut up._

Hiro was conscious of the bloodlust radiating through him, and the viscous magma-like oil that dripped from his jaws only distracted him further. Strelizia wasn't satisfied, but his body and mind resisted the beast.

"You all right there big guy?" A soft voice strengthened his resolve.

Hiro lowered his nose toward Zero Two, her mechanical limbs had contracted and hidden, leaving her to appear as a "normal" girl. Her hand brushed up against the side of his snout. The precision with which he discerned every digit of her hand made him wonder just how intertwined he was with the monster.

Hiro didn't mind though, if he could stay by her side, that was enough.

* * *

"Did you hear?" A woman whispered.

"Third time in the last week they've sent a squadron down there, what are they thinking?" The male caretaker responded.

A younger female sighed as they traveled further down the corridor away from the small meeting room, their voices becoming more muffled before cutting out entirely. In the center sat an ovular shaped table, on which hovered a holographic underground map. The hologram portrayed a depth as far down as 20 kilometers in some parts before cutting off at red line that traced the depth boundary. Four blinking modules stagnated below, each labeled with the same computer error, all some variance of "connection lost".

She sighed. Her shoulder-length blue hair obscured the thoughtful look she held in her jade eyes. Her gray uniform was comfortable enough, but she couldn't help the stuffy feeling she got as her finger hovered over one of the red flashing blips. An image appeared, bright lights mounted on the Franxx lit up a portion of the cavern a few hundred feet in front. The darkness elsewhere made it difficult to make out much of anything useful except… that was strange. A portion of the photograph where the beams of light were being focused was distorted, the light seemed to bend around some imaginary point. A detail that would've gone unnoticed had she not been burning holes in the image with her eyes. Probably the result of the disconnection. At least, that's what she might have thought if the same distortion didn't appear in all the remain photographs taken by remaining Franxx.

A hand clamped around her shoulder causing her to jump in shock.

"Whatcha' up to squad leader?"

She glanced at the boy who now stood at her side examining the display before them. Blond hair, glasses, and a smile that could light up a room were the defining features of her newly assigned, but not unfamiliar, partner. His tall stature made it appear like she was even shorter than she was.

"Nothing really. Just looking over the S-30 report." Ichigo said returning her focus to the model. "I know we aren't getting deployed there anytime soon, but…"

He gave her a pensive look before focusing on the hologram before them. His grin seemed more reminiscent and even a little sad as the same thoughts she was having seemed to pass through his mind as well.

"I'm sure he's down there somewhere, but there isn't a point in being in a rush," he reasoned. "If we get too far ahead of ourselves we'll just end up dead before we ever find him, right?"

She gave him a reassuring smile followed by a nod.

"You're right. Thanks, Goro."

Her face became wistful as she reflected on her time in Garden, particularly the last time she ever saw that boy. She had been counting the days since then, hoping one day he would walk back through that gate, hoping that maybe, despite all the odds, he had survived that tragedy. All Ichigo knew now was that she had a job to do, and she would do her best to make him proud. That's what he would've wanted, right?

"Oi, you two," a feminine voice called from behind, "Nana said we're to assemble in the hangar in an hour, something about meeting our 'guests'."

A girl with black hair and square glasses leaned against the doorway. She had a mild look of discomfort on her face as she examined the situation she was walking in on, but didn't add any further comments.

"'Guests'?" Goro questioned.

Ikuno shrugged.

"Supposedly, they're the big-shots from HQ." She stated.

Ichigo's brow furrowed, there were a lot of rumors surrounding a supposed 'ace squadron', a particular speculation involved the extermination of a Lehman-class klaxosaur during their first deployment as a squad at the age of 12. Just three years ago. Another, more recent rumor, involved the crossing of the boundary into the hell below something no squad was yet to do and return alive. She never got too caught up in their miraculous deeds, but somewhere deep inside she wondered what they saw down there if they truly had gone into the depths in enemy lines and returned.

"Do the rest know about this?"

Ikuno shook her head and Ichigo turned to Goro.

"Make sure everyone is in top condition for their arrival, I'll go with Ikuno and we'll meet you all there."

"Yes ma'am." Goro teased.

It appeared the day was becoming more eventful than Ichigo planned for, but she was used to that by now. Nothing ever went according to plan in a world like theirs.

* * *

 **AN:** Long time no see, I'm back again. Another busy month or so but I'm on break currently and it gave me a bit of time to finally crank out the editing for this chapter. I've been fairly lazy recently so you'll have to forgive me for it being a pretty short chapter, but hopefully soon I'll be able to free up more time to the point where I don't have to feel like I've got something else I should be doing at every second of every day. As an aside, please check out a few of the newer stories that have appeared in the community, some of them will probably catch your interest and I can tell the writers are putting in a lot of effort for not very many reviews or follows due to how the fandom has shrunk over the past few months.

Thanks for reading and have a nice thanksgiving if you celebrate it.

P.S. - Credit for the idea of snake-kun becoming a pet dog for a scene goes to Cerasus. It sounded cute and I thought it would fit in well this chapter.

Edit: went through and cleaned up some minor issues


	4. Broken Reality

Molten rock surrounded the blue-skinned female as she traversed through the toxic fumes that rose around the only available solid pathway. The sky far above was covered in a permanent gray smog that sat over the mountain.

The ground rumbled as she approached the volcanoe's center, but she did not falter, instead watching as the lava rose and dispersed around the massive creature. It clawed its way out of the depths revealing first its long and flat head, equipped with three rows of chainsaw-like teeth that took up most of its blackened mouth. Two eyes bulged out of the top of its skull, each radiating a solid, bright azure. Scaley limbs surfaced, pounding onto the rock in front of her, taking a humanoid form save for the lengthened claws that protruded from the klaxosaur's fingertips.

It towered over her, the creature would probably be comparable in size to multistoried building if it surfaced entirely, however, only its head and shoulders remained visible.

 _My patience dwindles for you, leader_. Ancient and monotonous tones filled her mind.

 _Your assistance is required at the heart, I'm no longer afforded the option of courteousness_ , the princess spoke.

The creature's orbs flared brighter for a moment.  
 _  
I have no interest in fighting this battle, especially not behind you who schemes among those putrid creatures_. Disdain laced itself within the klaxosaur's speech.

Her annoyance grew.

 _I've done what I had to do, Atlas,_ she growled, attempting to hold back the malice creeping its way through her mind.

Atlas' hands smashed onto either side of the outing of rock on which the princess stood, his head lowering and fangs bared; she stood her ground.

' _Done what you've had to do'? What is that nonsense? Your actions lead to the resurrection of a demon and the creation of a fake, it's only a matter of time before the plan you've so foolishly craft-  
_  
 _Enough.  
_  
Her lone horn hummed with spiteful energy, and Atlas' intimidating position collapsed into a grovel.

 _Playing the odds when they are stacked against us is the only option, the only foolish decision left is to make none at all.  
_  
She spread her arms.

 _So then, what will it be?_ She recognized the monster's hatred growing with every word. _Will you go back on the promises made to our ancestors and continue to play the fool?  
_  
Invisible tethers snapped, limbs massive enough to kill a human her size on impact swept towards her.

She smirked.

 _I think I'll enjoy this...  
_

* * *

The howling wind beat at the single-paned window which allowed the seeping cold to ooze its way into the chamber. Outdated fluorescent light flickered above, compensating for the minute amount of natural light that trickled into the room as he flipped through the faded and brittle pages of the brown, leather-backed journal. Werner Frank's wooden desk creaked with every move, as if it might break at any moment. The three drawers beneath his slouched body held nothing of interest; pens, paper, stale cigarettes, things left behind as non-essentials.

"Plantation 9: Secure, Plantation 10: Lost, Plantation 11: Lost, Plantation 12: Unknown, Plantation 13: Sec-"

He slammed the square red button the halo-ring shaped projector, having heard enough of its incessant updates, and lounged back in the leather office chair.

The squeaking of the oak door brought his attention the 26-year-old standing silent in the frame. A large, navy winter trench coat wrapped around his body concealing his arms. His shaved head matched with the stern military glare he wore permanently. Dull and calculating brown eyes met with a tired gray.

"Did Codes M-12 and M-40 enjoy their walk, Hachi?"

"Unfortunately," Hachi spoke, his cloak moved to reveal the concealed sidearm, "I seem to have lost track of them in the storm."

Dr. Franxx reached out with his mechanical arm, and Hachi deposited the weapon into his hand.

The steel had dulled from a shiny silver to a boring gray, its handle worn from years of negligence. Clicking a button on the side he released the magazine, revealing four missing bullets from the total of eight.

"I thought I taught you better, Hachi," Werner scoffed.

"I was being thorough, doctor."

Hachi's stoic expression showed no amusement in the obvious tease. The doctor coughed to dissipate the awkward silence that followed, keeping the clip and pistol separate as he slipped it into one of the ancient desk drawers, stretching his arm out to grab the cane leaned up on the wall next to him.

"Let's go check on our little assistant then, shall we?" The doctor rose, shuffling past the taller and more sturdy looking young man.

Hachi followed in suit as traversed his way through the maze of hallways that made up the single-story building. The white-tiled floors contrasted the dark gray of the concrete walls that surrounded them. Metallic doors lined the hospital-like complex, some labeled as offices, others as labs. Finally, they came to a dimly lit stairwell.

Fluorescent tubes ran parallel with the corridor downward, providing the only light to the claustrophobic enclosure. Upon reaching the bottom, one would see the hallway expand out as far as the eye could see, hundreds of rooms on either side. Lucky for the old man's aging body, their destination was set up in the room to his immediate left upon reaching the basement level.

The chamber was painted a stark white, on the far wall a large screen displayed two humanoid outlines along with corresponding vitals information. A stainless steel workbench encircled the center of the room, bent around in a U-shape and decorated with numerous multimeters, computers, and other pieces of extraneous lab equipment. A teenage girl was bent over at one computer reading through something when they walked in. She wore a lab coat that was probably two sizes too large for her with a dark undershirt; the left sleeve tied shut to prevent it from dangling unnecessarily.

Dr. Franxx gagged upon inhaling in the most grotesque smell he had ever been forced to become accustomed to.

"Doctor!" The girl stood, flustered by their sudden arrival. "I was just getting set up and I may have accidentally turned on the response systems."

Her soft face showed a sheepish expression, brown eyes turned downward in embarrassment.

A tempered glass display case stood in the center of the basketball court-sized room and was the detectable source of the foul scent. A mixture of black and blue made up the horrifying blob as it pulsated within its confines. It had responded to his presence, tiny spindles protruding and connecting, attempting to reach out to him.

"Shut it off, Hachi," Dr. Franxx spoke as he looked at the creature with distaste.

"Yes sir," Hachi returned, typing in a command on the computer the younger girl had been on just moments prior.

He watched as the monster deflated into what looked like a black puddle of oil before even that evaporated.

Taking a vial off the test-tube stand to his right, he swirled it around with his wrist. The liquid within glowed a warm gold-like color.

"Naomi," the doctor addressed the young attendant, "restart the systems, we'll start again."

"Will do!" She chirped.

"Hachi, the surveillance systems are rerouted, correct?" Franxx questioned, checking items off his list of to-dos.

"Correct, doctor."

Good.

A smile of delight grew, hidden under his gray beard. Years had gone by since he'd taken part in a true lab enviroment, it excited him, but Dr. Franxx pushed the child-like feelings of wonder down. He had work to do.

* * *

Strelizia coughed her darling up like a hairball, sending him tumbling right into Zero Two's arms who caught him at the cost of her balance. She crashed into the grass beneath her, providing a soft enough cushion for her shorter fall.

"Ow," Hiro's muted voice came out.

The beast lowered its nose, boring into the two of them with its dull orbs.

She was already annoyed, to say the least, but when that _thing_ had the nerve to eye up her darling as if it cared about his well being, Zero Two cracked.

 _Get lost._ A burning sensation coursed through her veins along with a familiar tingle in the tips of her horns as she transmitted the command.

Like usual, the machine just scoffed at her, unabated by her wishes. Fortunately, Strelizia seemed to take a hint that her presence wasn't wanted any longer than needed, and she circled them once more before taking off back into the black void from where they'd come from.

She took a rather difficult breath and exhaled, trying to imagine the coziest most relaxing thing she could. An hour in the springs with, darling? Now _that_ sounded like heaven. Zero Two attempted another deep breath, and she sensed the heat drain from her skin as at faded to a more natural pale.

When Zero Two opened her eyes, she found her darling with his face resting comfortably on her chest. He was still, so much so that she would've thought he was dead were it not for the light tickle of his breathing on her sternum.

"I knew it," she concluded, "darling is a massive pervert."

He groaned as his head rose.

"I…" He trailed off.

Tired eyes looked up at her as she bit her lip to hold in the laughter that was building up. He buried his head back into its previous resting spot.

"Have no defense..." Hiro muffled out.

His exhaustion causing him to fall to a pathetic degree of resistance to her teasing. It was about this time she noticed the rank odor emanating from his body.

She pinched her nose.

"You stink too," she commented in a nasally voice.

Hiro rolled off her into the grass.

"A hot bath sounds so nice," his eyes glazed over with thoughts of the heat removing the pain from his aching body.

Zero Two propped herself up on her elbow, her trademarked devious grin painted across her face.

"I couldn't agree more, darling."

His brow rose at her implication.

"We're getting a little old to be-"

She clamped her hand over his mouth in a playful gesture.

"You won't be going anywhere without me in that state anyway…" She pointed out.

Sure enough, when he attempted to raise himself to contradict her words, Hiro couldn't work up enough strength. His muscles refusing to cooperate as his exhausted body fought for any bit of rest possible. He looked terrible by any objective standard, not that she really cared about those. His hair matted and dirty, body bruised and scraped along with his horns.

She watched as the holes from the insertions on his chest closed into raw, scarred flesh. He seemed to still be out of breath, his mouth left ajar to gulp at the air. Despite all of that, she took most notice of his now rosy cheeks that only grew brighter in response to her growing attentiveness.

He glanced away from her before speaking again.

"I suppose it's fine," he said with a wry grin.

Zero Two moved swiftly and carefully to lift him, one arm placed underneath his knees and the other to support his back as she pulled him off the ground in a move that would impress any experienced weightlifter.

"It's decided then!" She exclaimed, turning to face out toward the forest expanse below, her darling held tight to her body.

* * *

"What's all this shit about?" Zorome groaned, still half asleep.

His light brown hair had knotted into a strangled mess, and his uniform put on in a haste. Miku appeared next to him as a matching mess as they walked out of the elevator.

Ichigo watched as Futoshi and Goro followed them out into the hangar. To their right stood four massive Franxx, each colored in their own unique styles, unlike the standard mechs. The last mech of the four was left dusty and dull unlike the others which were all well kept.

The rest of the space was empty, going out a few hundred meters before opening to the filth beyond iron walls. A dust storm raged at the hangars mouth, making it difficult to see the bulky, squarish, cargo planes awaiting authorization to land.

"Cool it, Zorome, we have important guests," Ichigo chided as four of the enormous vehicles landed in sync on the far side of the space from them.

"We'll be done in like 5 minutes and you can go back to the dorms," Goro added with optimism.

"I heard it was the Nines? Is that true," Futoshi nibbled on his coat collar before Ikuno swatted it out of his mouth.

"Doesn't matter who they are, they're staying with us until Papa says otherwise," she glared at Miku and Zorome who had zoned out of the conversation, "so get your act together."

"What are you talking about?" Miku growled, staring daggers in Ikuno.

"Miku please just settle down," Ichigo finalized attempting to make peace, placing herself in the conflict's center.

"No you shut up too," Miku snapped, temper flaring, "we all know the only reason you're in ch-"

"Enough!"

The mature feminine voice was unmistakable.

Miku glared toward Ichigo one more time before dropping her gaze and returning to her uninterested self.

"Code 015, can you inform me as to why your squad is in such disarray?"

The red-headed female had her business attitude in place, and Ichigo didn't expect to get out unscathed with an unsatisfying excuse.

"I have failed to keep them in order ma'am."

Nana sighed, pinching at the bridge of her nose.

"You all couldn't be further from normal children…"

Ichigo opened her mouth to comment but opted out. At least she wouldn't be punished for the mishap if Nana wasn't interested in holding her accountable.

"Man, these guys are a mess aren't they?"

A sly male voice taunted from their front, Ichigo had been so distracted by her squad mates nonsense she didn't even notice the strange group. They approached on a small airport buggy that carted them about ten feet in front of Ichigo before dropping off the assorted bunch.

Eight off-putting individuals confronted them. Colorful individuals of varying sizes comprised the main five while three female triplets stood behind, each with long gray hair and brown eyes. The triplets wore masks comprising a metal bridge that went over their noses and attached to around their ears, an odd detail Ichigo noticed.

"Sure seems that way, Alpha," the tallest, wearing a purple mop of hair, responded.

"I think they're just adorable," the female with short green hair pushed ahead of the group taking interest in Zorome, "just look at this little guy."

Zorome took a step back in surprise before pressing forward aggressively.

"Hey, who you making fun of sho-!" Miku's elbow jabbing into in his side cut him off.

At least she had some sense of the gravity of the current situation, unlike her male counterpart…

Ichigo stepped ahead of the group.

"I am Code 015 and squad leader of Squad 13, it's a pleasure to meet you," she took a stiff bow.

"You seem to be neglecting your duties, Nana of Squad 13," Alpha, the leader of the group spoke ignoring Ichigo's greeting.

She stewed in her embarrassment for a moment before a soft hand gripped her shoulder in reassurance. Looking up she found Nana giving her a weak smile.

"I only do what I'm ordered to, this squad has been given special freedoms," Nana defended herself, "I'm certain you were made of aware of that, Nine Alpha."

Futoshi made a choking sound when Nana let slip the confirmation of his fears.

Alpha's smirk disappeared, instead becoming one of disgust.

"I suppose it's no wonder we're needed here then," he pushed past the group, his squad mates filing in behind, "now if you'll excuse us, we'll be making ourselves at home."

Before passing into the elevator Alpha swiveled his head to call out one last thing.

"'Code 015', was it?" He started. "I'd recommend putting your squad on a tighter leash, else you want to see their bodies decorating the waste like the ones you replaced."

Ichigo's stomach churned at his words.

The elevator shut, leaving the space to a white silence.

"Yeesh," Goro muttered.

"At least that Alpha guy seemed cool, unlike any of you," Miku provoked, still aggravated.

"Excuse me?" Zorome confronted, concerned with his partner's loyalty in more than one aspect.

Ichigo could feel the thoughts building up in her head, so many questions but one stood out as the most important.

"Nana, why are they here?" Ichigo forced out.

Nana's eyes darkened, showing her annoyance with the query.

"They are the Nines, an elite squadron hand picked by Papa to be the saviors of humanity."

So they were a squad full of elite brats? It suited their attitude, Ichigo concluded.

"Because of the unfortunate circumstance we've had to call them in before you could all be prepared properly, but they intended the merger from the start."

Zorome jolted out of his grouchy attitude.

"Does that mean?"

Nana nodded.

Ichigo's heart sank.

"They are your new squad mates, so try your best to get along with them."

* * *

Zero Two couldn't have been happier when she discovered the small haven under the manor years prior; tucked away down a flight of stairs hidden in the back corner of the structure. Heat radiated from the cavern walls around them that glowed like a warm hearth.

"I think I can walk on my own now, Zero Two," Hiro stated.

She pulled his arm tighter around her shoulder, still detecting a slight wobble in his steps.

"No harm in being safe, is there?" She questioned, glancing over at him.

His chest was bare, and she took a moment to admire the tone he had developed. Zero Two took some credit for pushing him into shape, but their lifestyle had been the main contributor to the strength they'd both matured into. Contrary to her bold glances, Hiro seemed to try his best to avoid eye contact with any part of her exposed self.

"You really ought to be used to this by now, darling," she criticized.

"I _am_ used to it," he insisted.

Zero Two sighed.

The corridor widened into a pool-sized room, steam rose from the liquid that took up the majority of the room. Rocky structures jutted out from the water in small portions of the subterranean spring, other than that, the water was the perfect depth for a relaxing bath.

Hiro stepped in ahead, and she kneeled to ease him into the water. He winced on initial contact, but his face became more and more relaxed as his entire body submerged.

After ensuring he was safe and comfortable, Zero Two took a few steps back from the water's edge. With a three-step running start, she leapt, pulling her legs tight to her body.

"Cannonball!" She exclaimed, crashing into spring below.

Warmth engulfed her entire body. Stresses, both physical and mental, alleviating as she fell weightless to the bottom.

Zero Two felt the pads of her feet scrape against the rocky floor, and using it as a springboard, she rocketed back to the surface. She found Hiro beaming when she reached the surface, having found amusement in her antics.

"Well?" She asked, a smile of her own on her face. "Feel better yet?"

"Yep," he pulled his arm out of the water, bending it into a joking flex, "good as new."

Hiro winced as said that, letting his limb fall limp back into the water. Zero Two's mouth turned into a lopsided frown as she narrowed her eyes at him. She approached, wading through the water until their faces were mere inches apart.

"Z-Zero Two, that's a bit too close."

She ignored him, looking deep into his oceanic eyes closing the remaining distance. He gasped as her tongue extended, dragging a trail up his neck, both of their hearts pounding from the ungodly amount of skin-on-skin contact. Zero Two ended her odd ritual by pressing her crimson horns against his, her bangs falling over her eyes as she did so.

A million pin-pricks spread all over her body and an aching concentrated on her spine lower spine. The bitter taste in her mouth amplified-he was not good as new and there was nothing she could do about it.

"That blue hag will have hell to pay when we're free," Zero Two growled, a darker expression cast over her face.

Hiro noticed a change in the tension of their conversation and relaxed, raising a shaky arm to place on the pink-haired girl's head.

"We're still freer than we ever were back then, and even like this…" He paused.

With a gentle shift of his hand on her crown, he tilted Zero Two's head up so they were eye-to-eye again.

"Even like this, I'm happier than I ever thought I could be. So there's no point and getting upset, Zero Two."

Her heart wrenched at the sight of his beaming face, it hurt her more than anything else in the world could to see that forced smile, but she kept her welling emotions in check.

"Besides," his hand moved, reaching clumsily for the small of her back.

She sensed a soft digit probing one of the four tender pieces of raw flesh that surrounded her spinal cord. His light massage loosened her stiffness and Zero Two purred, dissolving her worries in the bliss.

"I'm not the only one who's still getting used to this, right?"

Zero Two caught her eyes wondering to his lips.

Bad idea, _bad idea…_

"Zero Two?"

Hiro's confused expression forced her to realize how long she'd been staring at him.

"I-I guess…" Zero Two mumbled.

His horns scraped along hers, the electricity that passed between them sent shivers through her body.

"As long as we're together, we'll be alright."

She nudged her horns against his, reciprocating the gesture.

"Yeah, yeah." She murmured.

* * *

 **AN:** Happy New Year! Time really does fly huh? Thank you to those of you who have stuck with me for the past however many months, I really appreciate it. I'll continue to try to improve on my writing going into the new year for you all and I hope you'll all continue to have patience with me as you have so far.

All your feedback is appreciated as usual. If I made any particularly bad mistakes feel free to let me know, I'm nowhere close to perfect after all.

Edit: Fixed some mistakes, thank you kind reviewer.

Edit 2: found some really weird errors with almost all inclusions of the name " " being removed, fixed along with some other miscellaneous things.

 **UPDATE:** Gonna be honest, my motivation to write has been particularly low recently. I have portions of the upcoming chapters finished, but their release date will be indefinitely postponed. Haven't been very happy with this fandom's writing environment for while now and I'm not sure when or if my opinion on that will be swayed or not. Hopefully I'll return to writing on and off over the summer.

I apologize for not being able to continue, but I don't see a point and half-assing my way through the rest of the story in my current state of motivation.


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